Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) announced the commencement of work on the country’s first solar project. The project has a planned production capacity of 150 MW. It will be developed in partnership with the private sector and is a part of Bahrain’s target of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2060. EWA stated that the solar project will be in the country’s southern region, near Bilaj Al Jazayer.  EWA plans to launch a global marketing exercise on August 14 to help advance the project’s development process. The exercise will involve engagement with local and international developers and stakeholders.

Masdar and the EDF Group’s joint venture, Emerge, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Emirates Development Bank (EDB) to explore collaboration areas for developing and financing distributed solar projects in the United Arab Emirates. The MoU will allow Emerge to identify and present renewable energy project financing opportunities. EBD will evaluate these opportunities and explore possible tailored financing solutions.

China-based LONGi delivered its Hi-MO X10 modules to the 1 MW rooftop array, providing electricity to the Izdehar Carton Factory in Muqqar, Jordan. The Izdehar Carton Factory is LONGi’s Hi-MO X10 technology’s largest single-site deployment to date. The array comprises over 1,500 panels, spanning 10 donums (approximately one hectare) on the factory’s roof.

The Egyptian Industrial and Investment Group (EIIG) will launch a large renewable energy project in collaboration with an international company. Investment in the project is expected to range from $250 million to $300 million. The country’s government aims to attract EGP100 billion (~$2.06 million) from the private sector within the next two years for renewable energy projects.

Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power secured contracts to develop and operate the Noor Midelt II and Noor Midelt III solar projects in Morocco, having a combined 800 MW capacity on a build-own-operate basis. ACWA Power signed the 30-year power purchase agreement with the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy. These projects were originally designed as hybrid solar-concentrated solar power systems of 500 MW with a storage capacity. Currently, each project comprises 400 MW of solar and 230 MW/620 MWh of battery energy storage system capacity.